


All Roads Lead To

by CardboarianNights



Series: Fall from the sky [2]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Adventure, M/M, Post-Apocalypse, Romance, blind!jack, gabe loves jack so much it's so wonderful, imagine being a cosmic god and your omnipotent knowledge fails you hard, lots of hand holding, mild body horror, not the body horror gross out focus, played for laughs, rediscovering the world, romance is ALWAYS the central focus, soft scifi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-28
Updated: 2018-03-05
Packaged: 2019-03-25 05:24:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13827387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CardboarianNights/pseuds/CardboarianNights
Summary: Jack and Gabriel continue their journey in the Volskaya mech, The Apache, and head to the Rome drop zone for the first time.Witness an adventure from the Lord of the Stars' perspective as he and Jack discover more things about the post-apocalyptic world together and just how quickly humanity is pulling itself out of the ruins, for the better or worse.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for the several month delay on a sequel! 
> 
> Special thanks on reviewers who wanted to see the world more from Gabriel's perspective! World-building is more of the focus in this story but it obviously doesn't overshadow the character interactions we all love.
> 
> Please re-read the first fic for a quick brush up since this continuation assumes you've read the first one.

Gabriel stared at the crowd gathered in front of the mech as he held Jack’s hand firmly in his own, eyes narrowed while the Italians continued to try sweet talking him into accepting their deal. They only just arrived at the Italian drop zone just to be hassled by mobs of merchants looking to trade and the remnants of the mafia trying to pawn the mech off their backs.

How fucking annoying.

“No. The mech is not for sale or trade nor will we barter any parts off it. Continue to be pushy like this and I will see to it that this zone will never be visited by the Apache again.” Gabriel proclaimed loudly to the crowd before turning to gently pull Jack with him as they walked in the opposite direction of the entrance to Rome. It was one of the few famous cities directly hit by stardust and had lost almost all of its ancient buildings as a result of the apocalypse.

“Gabe, I know they’re being a bit heavy-handed right now but these people are desperate.” Jack reminded him gently as he gave Gabriel’s hand an affectionate squeeze while they walked together through the long grass that went slightly above their ankles. 

Gabriel prefered to walk barefoot on the ground, wanting to simulate a messiah that the people worshipped mostly to draw attention away from his more normal-appearing companion. It was also a good way to say he was a very important person without him having to explicitly say it out loud and risk pissing Jack off. Jack being blind and only interpreting his surroundings through the heat objects give off made it rather easy to get away with subtle visual markers of his omnipotence as long as Jack couldn’t feel them through touch. He didn’t get overly cocky either by putting ‘I am your god’ text on his robes either but the clerical robes seemed to help draw the attention that he wanted regardless.

If anyone thought about shooting or stabbing him it wouldn’t do much at all since his organic body was just literally a flesh shell with no organs or anything else inside. Can’t bleed to death if you have no blood, right?

Gabriel sighed softly as he brought his hand up to run through his shoulder-length, black, curly hair. “How can they be desperate if their city was directly hit by the stardust? Does the accelerated growth of plant life and the attraction of fauna to the location really make their lives hard, Jackie? They still have plenty of modern homes to live in and functional technology if the electric gates make that obvious enough.” 

“Everyone struggles differently, Gabe. They still don’t have water filters capable of taking stardust out of the drinking water.”

He rolled his eyes at that. “Wow. You know a lot for a guy who never stepped foot into the zone or asked a local if they achieved that, Jack.” Gabriel spoke sarcastically before he seemed to notice something. “There’s a hole one step in front of your left foot, move right with me.” He quickly added, Jack moving in step with him to the right to avoid the hole in the ground that could easily break Jack’s ankle if he wasn’t vigilant for those kinds of hazards.

“Thanks.” Jack mumbled, the intensity of his grip on Gabriel’s hand not lost on Gabriel in that brief moment he was startled but felt himself smile when Jack eventually relaxed.

“I’m not going to let something like a hole take the fire out of my supernova.” Gabriel grinned, speaking playfully with Jack as he watched the silver-haired man drift over closer to him, their shoulders brushing lightly together as they walked. He was glad that the bandana only covered his eyes and not jack’s cheeks so he could see him flush in embarrassment.

“You’re such a pain in the ass.” Jack grumbled as he tilted his head downwards to his feet, boots lightly kicking some rocks ahead of them to vent his embarrassment in a rather endearing manner. “Supernovas are a shitty thing to compare people to, Gabe.”

Gabriel shrugged his shoulders at that. “You sure? The comparison fits quite well considering how your life is tied to the fate of this planet.”

Jack moved away from Gabriel with that comment but did not yank his hand away from Gabriel’s in disgust. Was it out of fear of angering him or because he wasn’t that put off like Gabriel assumed he would be? It would kind of suck to be blind and have to crawl his way back to the mech if Gabriel got petty enough to leave him to get back with his own devices.

“Can we not talk about that?”

“Whatever makes you comfortable, Jack.” Gabriel spoke as he lightly pulled on Jack’s hand, signaling he was going to turn right. Jack squeezed Gabe’s hand in silent acknowledgement before they both began to turn right until they were heading back towards the mech. He suddenly came to a halt as he noticed a group of some kind of animals peering out of the forest and looking towards him. Jack stopped beside him after he felt resistance from Gabriel not continuing with him. “What’s a group of deer called again, Jack?”

“A herd.” Jack answered, confused for a few moments before he finally casted his gaze towards the forest to see the collective heat signatures of the animals. “That’s strange.” He mumbled quietly, bringing his free hand up to rub at his chin inquisitively.

“What is?” Gabriel asked with a softer voice, not wanting to scare the herd away while they were carefully observing them with the same mutual interest in all likelihood. He wouldn’t be surprised if the herd had some idea that he wasn’t exactly ‘normal’ for a human since dogs and cats were much more wary of his presence than humans were when he was in his human form.

“Is something wrong with their heads?”

Gabriel paused at that, his lips pressing together firmly as he tried to think about it as he looked at the herd. What were deer suppose to look like? Would Jack laugh at him if he described what was in front of them and it was actually a different animal? Gabriel did say they were ‘deer’ but he didn’t exactly know what made the animal different from a horse other than the fact that they were smaller and had thinner legs, along with the fact that males sprout oddly shaped horns out of their heads. 

Humans use horses a lot these days since modern transportation vehicles were generally unusable while humans had to focus on more basic needs being met. Then again there were all sorts of different ‘horses’ too that just confused Gabriel that much more. 

Don’t even get him fucking started the confusing differences between baby horses and fucking ponies either.

“Gabe?”

“This sucks.” Gabriel huffed.

“Huh?”

Gabriel looked over at Jack with frustration as he felt himself panicking over what was probably fucking nothing but also growing more pissed at himself for not know what the fuck those animals were anymore! 

Deer lived in forests, right? But he could have sworn he’d seen some out in the open fields many times before! Do they not have one set habitat where they like to stay ninety percent of the time?! Humans like to live in clusters all over the place minus deep ocean or in floating structures that stay permanently in the sky because they were a highly advanced race and it was expected that exception only apply to them! 

Also why the fuck are these fuckers staring at him like that?! He was getting more pissed off by the minute the longer their beady little eyes staring back at them!

“Gabe. You’re tensing up. What’s the matter?” Jack asked hesitantly, moving closer to him out of fear of the unknown and it was just putting more pressure on Gabriel to actually say something to reassure his partner.

“I…!”

Say it!!

“I… Uh!”

FUCKING OUT WITH IT, DUMBFUCK!!

“I don’t know what I’m looking at!!” Gabriel spat out forcefully, his body trembling out of sheer embarrassment for having to sink so low as to admit that he didn’t know something! Him! The Lord of the Stars, himself, could not identify a simple Earth creature!

“...Huh?” Jack shifted his head to look at Gabriel, probably more baffled than he was before then looking right back over at the pack of wild animals in the distance. 

Gabriel gritted his teeth from how tense he was, mentally focusing on Jack’s hand so he wouldn’t hurt his partner’s fingers in the midst of his episode. “The animals! I don’t fucking know what they are! I thought they were deer and it was the first thing that came out of my mouth!” He growled, definitely more angry at how humiliating this was but felt a lot better knowing he wasn’t going to keep Jack in the dark because he was embarrassed.

Jack chuckled softly at that in relief, helping reassure Gabriel that he wasn’t wrong for trusting Jack enough to be honest with him.

“Okay, try describing them to me.”

“Huh?” Gabriel asked intelligently.

“The animals you’re trying to identify in front of us, Gabe. What do they look like?” Jack clarified as he gestured his free hand in the direction of the ‘deer’.

“Sure, I guess.” Gabriel brought a hand up to rub the back of his neck as he squinted his eyes to try to make out details of the animals. “Where’s a good place to start describing them?”

“I don't really know. Maybe start with pelt color? I don't really have a preference.” Jack shrugged his shoulders casually as he lightly swung their hands back and forth a bit.

Gabriel blinked at that and looked back over at Jack with a quirked brow. “‘Pelt’?”

Jack paused their hand swinging for a moment to think of a way to describe the term he used before casually resuming the swinging motion. “Remember back in the New Mexico drop zone where you were petting Jesse’s cat while him and I drank moonshine on his porch?”

Gabriel scowled at Jack for bringing up that memory when he had to physically carry a completely wasted Jack and McCree upstairs to the bedroom before having to take guard duty for fucking ten hours on said-porch alone. Jack was very apologetic when he woke up, even with a hangover, but those ten hours fucking sucked ass with no one to talk to.

“Yeah?”

Jack nodded his head. “The fur you were petting, the soft black fluff on the cat, is technically the ‘pelt’ when you talk about wild animals like deer.”

“Oh. I see.” Gabriel replied, “Thank you for explaining it.”

Jack had a small smile on his face from hearing Gabriel express gratitude and felt his own lips curl upwards when Jack gave his hand a squeeze.

“Okay, let’s see then… The ones with horns are similar to the color of the tree branches in the area where we first met.” He paused before looking over at Jack quizzically. “Can you remember the environment from that long ago, Jackie?”

“Yeah, kind of. Keep going.” 

He turned his gaze back to the animals as he brought his free hand up to scratch at his beard in thought. “It’s a nice smooth texture on the horn, like that carving Jesse gave us. The tips aren't pointy though so I have no idea how it defends itself should a predator attack. Anyways, it, along with the rest for the animals are a sort-of tannish pink? No fur from the look of it. Some of their body parts are unnaturally swollen but it's not consistent. Maybe it's the effects of stardust contamination on the water around here.”

Jack whipped his head in surprise at Gabriel, his mouth opening slightly in awe before looking back quickly at the animals. “Seriously? No fur? Pinkish skin?”

Gabriel quirked a brow curiously at Jack, studying his partner’s visible discomfort with the information. It made him wonder how drastic of a change it was. Was the shock simply from the regional variety of animals being slightly different from what Jack was used to seeing in the past or if he really knew what the animals in the Italian country were suppose to look like. Assumptions were dangerous things, especially when dealing with them in the almost limitless ways Gabriel could tackle them.

“Not that I know what these animals are and what they are suppose to look like but would you like me to-”

“No. Absolutely not.” 

Gabriel casually shrugged his shoulders at that, learning long ago to not take it personally. Jack’s reasoning for any dismissal of further manipulation on the planet was always the same and he’d rather the world evolve by itself than deal with the potentially harmful side effects of Gabriel further exerting his will. “Alright. Let's continue on then.” 

Jack nodded his head quietly probably needing time to adjust to the new information as they proceeded forward, the animals retreating into the forest but still watching them with cautious curiosity. Gabriel gently stroked his thumb over Jack’s hand to provide some comfort to his partner. He could easily be stuck in his head for hours in an endless loop while guilt worked its way into his every thought. Gabriel understood that the best he could do was be an anchor for Jack and offer to hear him out and console him.

It was always worth seeing Jack step out of that tunnel in the end, especially with how bad it used to be in the first year. Even Gabriel hated how ignorant he was and how much worse he made his partner feel about his own wish when he was a child.


	2. Chapter 2

Jack was quiet for the rest of the walk back to Rome but seemed to cheer up just a bit when he and Gabriel entered the city after checking up on Apache and taking along a basket with items to trade from the mech. The atmosphere was lively and there were actually quite a few places of interest to visit regardless of the general mass destruction the apocalypse brought to ancient cities like this. 

Plant life saturated the city, coating it with vines and trees with plentiful fruits and flowers. The grass displacing destroyed roads was maintained and cut to allow for treadable walkways for people and horse-drawn carriages; Some semblance of order for the society here as Jack walked close to Gabriel, practically connected at the hip.

The market was probably the most lively place in Rome as Gabriel made a beeline to sample the local cuisine, like usual, when visiting orderly drop zones like this one, minus the initial harassment they received at the gate. It seemed that word got around rather quickly for people to bug off but that certainly didn't stop people from pausing and staring at them. Gabriel didn't care as long as no one got in his way while he browsed the various stands offering fresh goods, the owners ready to barter.

“How much Italian do you know, Jackie?” Gabriel asked as he guided Jack over to a food stand where there were crisp, grilled fish seasoned and displayed on sticks while the owner regarded Jack and Gabriel with perplexity. It was probably Gabriel’s outfit and Jack’s bandana causing some confusion along with Gabe’s lack of knowledge with the language. Not everyone knew conversational English fluently, after all.

Jack seemed to tense at being put suddenly on the spot, making Gabriel bite down on the inside of his cheek at making Jack feel uncomfortable. 

Shit. He didn’t mean to… -

“I know a few words here and there but it’s mostly cuss words that one of my old unit buddies used to spat in combat operations over the radio.” Jack sheepishly replied as he drummed his fingers anxiously over Gabriel’s hand while they continued to hold the other’s. “It’s not going to be much use here. Unfortunately.”

Gabriel gave Jack’s hand a reassuring squeeze and an understanding smile, regardless if Jack couldn’t see it before facing the stall owner. He knew he doesn’t have the temperament or patience for this kind of thing but he could tell Jack was hungry and he wanted to try some of the food too. Gabriel figured he would have to do his best with hand gestures and such as he put a bag on the counter of the stall before opening it. 

He pulled out a small box and pulled open the lid to reveal his tiny jar collection of spices and herbs he collects for trading purposes. The box is then turned towards the curious owner before Gabriel points to the decently-sized fish display behind an old plastic screen to dissuade theft. “Two? Dose?” Gabriel tried, first in English and then in Spanish as he pointed to the fish on display with two fingers up, hoping for something here to get the point across that Gabriel wanted to trade.

The owner nods his head and held up his index finger for Gabriel to wait for a moment before turning around and speaking to someone. The man then dragged something wooden over behind the stall and a little boy, no older than fifteen, stepped up as the owner stands right next to him with a smile.

“Hello! Welcome! You want to buy fish?” The Italian boy with short brown hair spoke with a heavy Italian accent.

Gabriel smiled at that as he regarded the pride in the owner’s eyes while he looked at the boy communicating with Gabriel in his best English. There was always something so nice about seeing such outward affection being displayed when one’s child was eager to assist others, especially when they could do what others could not. It certainly warmed Gabriel up but he knows that some families also liked to give the appearance of warmth to con others as well. He would be cautious but also courteous until given reason to take his business elsewhere.

“Yes. I would like to buy fish.” He spoke slowly. “Trade is okay?”

The boy nodded his head and puffed up his chest with pride. “Yes! Trade is good!”

Jack chuckled at the boy’s enthusiasm, making Gabriel smirk for but a moment before he returned to business. Gabriel gestured to the box of fresh spice and herbs and watched as the boy asked the owner something in Italian before the man turned to kneel down behind the counter. An old, battered book of spices and herbs was set on the counter for the boy before the man just resumed watching as the boy started taking the small jars out to research what was what in them. Books like that were highly sought after in this post-apocalyptic era after all the destruction and the internet being put offline until further notice.

It was nice watching an active teaching lesson being conducted though, masquerade or not.

Maybe he should have Jack…

Gabriel paused at that idea, his eagerness to learn smothered by the consequences of his actions in the past. He glanced over to Jack by his side and felt his heart squeeze painfully as he looked at his ever faithful companion. The bandana wrapped over his eyes a cold reminder that Gabriel wasn’t human nor ever would be regardless of his feelings for Jack. 

Gabriel could only ever take. 

Jack has just been trying to survive since day one. It wasn’t an equal relationship… 

Nor would it ever be.

“Ah!”

Gabriel turned his attention back to the boy as he started speaking in rapid Italian to his guardian, the older man leaning over curiously while he scratched idly at his chin. Both Gabriel and the owner looked at the picture the boy was pointing at with much interest.

“What’s happening?” Jack murmured curiously to Gabriel, making Gabe glance back at his companion for a moment before lightly squeezing his hand to reassure him.

“Just an educational moment. The owner’s boy is looking through an old book to see what spices we have to trade and it looks like he found one that matched.” Gabriel smoothly summed up for his companion with a warm smile on his face, regardless if Jack could not see it. Jack would easily understand from his tone and the way he held his hand that he was pleased from the sight taking part in front of him.

The greying soldier’s lips lifted upwards into a small smile at that, making Gabriel’s heart clench that much more. The man was too endearing for his own good at times.

“That’s not something we see everyday.” Jack remarked fondly, Gabriel nodding his head in agreement.

“You could say that about a lot of things, living like we do.” Gabriel casually added before a thread of guilt twisted inside him from that. He pushed it quickly from his mind as Jack merely hummed in agreement, not offended by the careless observation Gabriel made. His attention turned to that of the boy as he popped off the cork of one of the bottles and pulled out five oregano leaves before pointing to the fish.

“Three green, two fish?” He asked Gabriel in English, using his finger to slide three oregano leaves away from the five leaves he pulled out as a visual before looking back up at Gabriel with a smile.

“What’s the offer?” Jack cut in since he was the one who knew the value of the items they hauled around in the mech.

Gabriel turned to look at him. “Three oregano leaves for two fish.”

Jack hummed at that. “How many oregano leaves did we have total in the bottle?”

“Seven.”

Jack’s lips pursed firmly at that as Gabriel watched him weigh everything in his head. The man was very meticulous when it came to trading, the herbs they carried with them being worth a large fortune in this post-apocalypse age where most people were not actively growing them in large quantities as of yet.

“How much food do we have back in the mech?”

Gabriel blinked at that before humming, bringing a hand up to rub at his beard for a few long moments. 

“The game meat you collected two days ago is still good for another week. If you’re interested in rationing that, plus the grain and vegetables…” Gabriel did the calculations in his head, using the month or so they spent crossing the Atlantic as a gauge for what constituted as ‘rationing’ for Jack in the most extreme terms. That thought made him pause. “How hard do you plan on rationing this time?”

Jack grumbled at that in annoyance. “We’re going to Paris next so, I think we can possibly hunt or fish in between travel. Tell them that we’ll pass.” He decided, Gabriel nodding his head in acknowledgement at that.

Gabriel gave an apologetic smile as he looked back at the boy before reaching over to carefully place all the leaves back into the small jar. “Thank you, but no.” He spoke, watching the boy’s face droop right into a frown before turning to speak hesitant Italian to the owner next to him. The older man’s eyes widened at the rejection before he anxiously spoke rapid Italian back to the boy, the child looking flustered for a second before he held a hand out with all five fingers spread out.

“Wait! Ah-! Erm-! Five! Five fish, three green!” The boy counter offered, making Gabriel pause before he looked back over at Jack curiously.

That offer was a bit more fair than the last one, in Gabriel’s opinion, but he wasn’t the one dealing with the finances in the relationship. Five cooked and flavored fish could last Jack a few meals in the mech without him dipping into his own seasoning stock. Trading away five fish could be a disadvantage to the owner and his family depending on how well the Mediterranean Sea was recovering from the apocalypse as well… Oregano would trade for a lot here too if the owner was smart with the bounty he would collect, assuming Jack even approved the trade in the first place.

“What do you think, Jack?” Gabriel asked.

Jack tensed up a bit at that, not like being put into stressful situation like this. It made Gabriel purse his lips at that realization that he fucked up by making the fish stand owner and the child seem very personable by fondly telling him of the ‘educational moment’. It was one thing for Gabriel to be possibly suckered but Jack needed him to keep an eye out for possible assholes looking to prey on their emotions. Once they were out of a certain spice then they were out of it for good unless Jack came across a spice trader at one of the drop zones at a later time. 

Even then, Jack might have to pay out an arm and a leg to get the quality and quantity Satya freely gave to Jack as a gift. It all depended on how much Jack wanted the fish compared to the potential trade value they would lose by giving them the leaves.

Gabriel gave Jack’s hand a light squeeze to draw him out of his head for a moment, watching as the blind man turned his head reflexively in Gabriel’s direction.

“Want to see what’s at the next stall and come back if nothing else is good?” He offered reassuringly to Jack, giving him the out he needed without feeling too bad about the whole thing. 

“Sure.” Jack grumbled quietly, probably feeling bad regardless as Gabriel released his hand and went to place the jar back into the spice box, sliding the container off the counter.

The boy looked even more depressed at that as Gabriel put the box back into the safety of the bag and slid the strap back over his shoulders. 

“We’ll be looking around and will come back. Okay?” He spoke slowly to the boy, hoping he understood it as Gabriel took Jack’s hand once more and moved on. 

Jack quickly caught up to Gabriel, practically shoulder to shoulder with him as he could feel the anxiety pouring over him. Gabriel could also hear the loud shouts of the owner from behind them as they moved further to mix into the crowd, the guy likely scolding the boy for missing a huge sale that could have potentially changed their lives.

“Let’s not bring out the box and consider trading the other stuff first, Gabe.” Jack whispered to Gabriel, unintentionally reminding his companion of the blunder he made by being too eager to offer spices, much less open the whole spice box for any onlooker to see. 

The shit was like gold to humans but Gabriel just wanted to help out Jack so he wouldn’t have to hunt or ration his food so often. Life could be so miserable for his human companion when they were on the road together. He should be able to eat more than just meat Gabriel preserved in the mech…

In the end, they ended up trading some operational, pre-apocalypse toys for clothing that Jack needed; A lot of socks, multiple pairs of underwear, and two under shirts to replace the very worn and peach-stained ones that Gabriel stored inside the cockpit’s walls. Jack was now too hesitant to trade for food, especially when they went the long way around to avoid the fish stall and the possible consequences of Gabriel’s over-eagerness to try to handle trades for Jack.

The bag was bloated with clothing as they walked together through the city back to the gate. The sight of Apache in the distance a relief to Gabriel. No where else was safer for Jack then the mech, and he would always be grateful for the haven he calls his Earth-side home. 

Unfortunately, his relief quickly turned to one of tightly controlled unease as he saw the line of humans blockaging the large gate coming into focus. 

Their numbers and weapons making Gabriel uneasy as he slowed to a halt far away once he caught sight of them, turning to head off to the side with Jack at a natural pace as to not draw attention to them. There was still a crowd they were hiding amongst here as Gabriel placed one hand on Jack’s shoulder before leaning in close to his ear. Jack visibly confused but experienced enough to not say anything by the sudden change in direction.

“You see that line of people by the gate?” Gabriel asked quietly.

“Yeah. Something up with them?” Jack asked, a bit anxious but that was to be expected.

“Not sure if you can see the differences of their heat signatures from here but they got weapons on them.”

Jack’s lips curved downwards into a frown at that. “Not the guards?”

Gabriel shook his head. “They’re facing the wrong way to be a bunch of guards.”

Jack tensed up a bit at that. “Shit.” He hissed under his breath, probably resisting the urge to try to look around the crowd to get a better look at the ‘guards’. “What do they have on them?”

“Guns and police batons.” Gabriel recalled from the glimpse he got of them group. “No idea if the firearms are just for show or are actually loaded.” He murmured to Jack. 

Jack hummed in reply at that. “Best assume the guns have been maintained and are loaded.”

Gabriel glanced about the walls that lined the perimeter of the city entrance, noting the light guard coverage before looking back over at Jack. “I can have the Apache lift us to safety. The walls aren't too wide for me to reach over.” He whispered to Jack, watching the man as he shifted uncomfortably on his feet, clearly nervous about causing a scene with the mech.

“Gentlemen.”

Gabriel quickly pulled one of Jack’s old pistols out of his satchel as he aimed it at the man who snuck up on them. Jack quickly moved closer to Gabriel, ready to pull his own gun as well before the nicely dressed man in a grey suit put his hands up in the air. He was awfully relaxed for a guy with a loaded gun pointed at his face but the asshole didn't know that they had been keeping their equipment well-maintained over these past few years, unlike the mafia members by the gate.

“Now, now!” The man chuckled in friendly manner. “I’m simply a messenger on the behalf of the Pope. His Grace wishes to simply have a short lunch with Jack Morrison before you two leave Rome.” He explained, making Gabriel narrow his eyes at the man even more skeptically.

“Tell your boss that we’re not interested in taking invitations.” Gabriel ordered before lowering his gun, keeping a steady hand in case he was just bait for an ambush. 

“Wait.” Jack spoke as he stepped away from Gabriel. “The Vatican relocated this far?”

Gabriel glanced over at Jack, not quite sure why his companion was so interested when none of his old team members were living here. Jack was never the one interested in staying in one place too long, especially in a potentially hostile place like this one. If this wasn’t an obvious bait then Jack must hold some significant interest in this ‘Vatican’ thing in order to even humor such a terrible approach by a ‘messenger’.

“Does it matter? We have everything we want.” Gabriel reminded his companion, making sure to voice his opinion on the matter less Jack get carried away if he remained silent.

Jack looked back at Gabriel with heavy hesitation, Gabriel a bit surprised at his rather confusing reaction. Did this ‘Vatican’ mean more to him than he originally thought? Maybe more of those humanity-originated, and highly respected elements were coming into play that Jack had trouble explaining to Gabriel over the years. 

“Remember our talks about religion?” Jack started, meaning that Gabriel, indeed, foresaw this possible development and respectfully nodded his head in acknowledgement.

“Not much came of it, but, yes, I do recall that.”

“Well…” Jack awkwardly cleared his throat before bringing a hand up to rub at the back of his neck. “The Vatican plays a major part in the organization of the Roman Catholic religion.”

“I remember, do continue.” Gabriel encouraged his partner, watching the relief show in his shoulders at Gabriel’s understanding of what the beliefs meant to Jack, even though the man did admit to being ‘non-practicing’ since the Apocalypse.

“Well, the Pope is the highest seat in the Catholic church and not many people ever have the chance to meet with them in their lifetime, at least before the Apocalypse. Hell, it’s probably even less likely now since the world has been heavily splintered…” He sheepishly explained, and Gabriel was just getting why the idea of a personal invitation would be so tempting.

Still…

“That should make this invite all the more suspicious. Yes, people know about the Apache and the… ‘mysticism’, as they say, surrounding it, but not many know about you, much less your religious affiliation.”

The messenger chuckled at that, gaining the focus of the two alert men before him. “I apologize for laughing, Sirs. I just find it interesting how misinformed you both are about the world, and how we have reinvented our ways of thinking to accommodate our new ways of life. Allow me to explain; Using a combination of hawk training and old drone-based technology, information can be transferred between drop zones in a few hours between neighboring European countries, and communication can be exchanged within a week from here to the Moscow drop zone, baring winter. Jack Morrison is more well-known in the remaining governing systems than you would assume.”

Gabriel's eyes narrowed at that as Jack seemed a bit equally put off by that new knowledge. Great, now they knew that their movements and interactions in drop zones were being monitored by potentially negatively biased sources. Image control was going to become a growing problem in the upcoming years, Gabriel was very sure of it.

“I’m sorry. Please do tell the Pope that I appreciate the invitation but we cannot join them for lunch.” Jack respectfully declined, making Gabriel a bit more reassured that even a blind man could see how this could all come to bite them in the ass later if they did take up the innocent offer.

The man seemed rather disappointed by that answer but nodded his head agreeably. “How unfortunate. I’ll be sure to let the Pope know of your polite decline. Anyways, I shall walk you two to the gate and make sure you encounter no more trouble.”

Gabriel pursed his lips firmly at that offer, not liking the fact that this ‘messenger’ was disrupting their plans enough but had the audacity to seem benevolent while he led them right into the trap. Jack wanted Gabriel to be a bit more flexible when it came to human interaction but taking the offer leaned too much into ‘gullible’ territory to his liking. Sure, he should not always be suspicious of everyone he meets but this was kind of a huge leap of faith for a guy neither of them knew and who Jack was even tempted to pull a gun on.

Glancing over at Jack, he decided to keep quiet about his general detestment of the man and just be ready to mobilize the mech if shit hit the fan. He trusted Jack but would always be ready to kick ass if his partner’s judgment in character turned out to be wrong. Gabriel wanted to give him that much freedom when they both had so little now in this new era of humanity.

“It’s alright. Rome is a very safe place, I doubt we’ll encounter any sort of problems on our way out. Thank you though.” Jack politely declined before turning towards Gabriel. “Ready to go?”

Gabriel slipped his gun back into his chest holster under his robe and took the hand Jack provided to him, giving it a small, reassuring squeeze before they set off. They weaved through the crowds of people staring in awe at the mech by the gates, heading to the less populated walls lined by trees and wild growth. Focusing on his real form inside the Apache, the mech began to switch out of idle mode; The cockpit lights flickering on along with the camera feeds on the monitors while the coolant began pumping itself through the body of the mech and through the warming core. Any external lighting and such saved until the last possible moment as to not tip off anyone watching it that it would move soon, especially without a pilot.

The long grass was a pain in the ass to maneuver through, the blades cutting at his exposed ankles and feet while also slowing their rush to get out of possible harm’s way. It didn't help that there were small animals dashing away and scaring the shit out of Gabriel, much to Jack’s amusement as he broke out in laughter once Gabriel tried to explain the creature’s (a rabbit, according to Jack) sudden appearance. Feeling sufficiently humiliated at the encounter, he ignored Jack’s attempts to try baiting him into conversation with that stupid smile on his face. Instead, he focused on getting the Apache to awkwardly reach over the wall without stepping on some of the ‘worshippers’ crowding the mech’s feet.

The suited ‘guards’ at the gate noticed the commotion and were racing over to get to them too late as Gabriel and Jack climbed into the fleshy, warm palm of the mech. They were whisked away to safety as Jack held onto the mech’s thumb while Gabriel just stood next to him, his feet sufficiently fused to the palm as not worry of being knocked off. Luckily, the mobsters weren't dumb enough to fire their weapons but did make an awful racket along with the worshippers that their collective mangled voices carried up to the cockpit of the enormous Volskaya mech. 

“Doesn't sound like they’re too pleased with our departure method.” Jack chuckled in amusement as the cockpit door began to open for them after the hand came to a halt. He stood up to his full height now as Gabriel detached his sandals from the palm of the mech.

Gabriel rolled his eyes at that as he offered his hand to Jack and helped steady him on the soft surface of the mech’s palm, making their way to the cockpit chair and helping him sit down in it before nonchalantly plopping down in the man’s lap. The chair then began to reverse back into the cockpit as the Apache’s hand pulled away from view, Gabriel getting comfortable as he rested his head against Jack’s shoulder before replying.

“They are more entitled than I would like.” Gabriel remarked in annoyance, no longer holding back his disdain for that trip into the city now that it was over before reflecting over his own mistakes. “Though, I have to admit that I didn't make anything easier for us in the market.” He remarked somnely as the chair pulled into the mech and locked into place, the bulkheads pulling closed to cut them off from the outside world. 

Jack grunted and tried to maneuver around Gabriel while he pulled the satchel off his shoulders, Gabriel opening one of the flesh walls to allow his companion to pass the individual pieces of new clothing to the tendrils ready to integrate them into the mech’s storage compartments. While they were busy getting situated inside, Gabriel had the mech carefully pull away from the drop zone, being mindful as he could of the people scattered about with every step he made at the temporary helm of the Apache.

“I was still proud that you handled most of the transactions patiently, Gabe. That rough bump with the fish stall aside, I think you’re doing quite well as our supply buyer.” Jack reassured Gabriel, continuing to pass shirt after boxers after wool socks to the tendrils that retreated with their bounty into the walls. “The wool socks are really appreciated, by the way. Didn't know you knew the difference.” He added with warm approval.

Gabriel smiled at that, glad that deductive reasoning helped him out when Jack listed off the clothing he needed to restock badly. The thick socks reminded him of the times in Russia when Jack asked for two pairs of socks and pulled them both on to keep his feet warm even though the temperature in the Apache was bearable, at least to him. He just figured that thick socks would be more helpful than not as they continued to move north through Europe as winter approached in a few months.

Speaking of ‘socks’...

“Can I consume your hole-ridden socks now since we have both replacements and wool ones?” Gabriel asked curiously, always eager to toss flammables into the core to save on space in the mech. 

He could only devote so much of the mech to create keratin-lined compartments for storing Jack’s stuff without ruining/staining fabric, tainting metal properties, or flat out destroying it if stored too close to the core. It was such a pain in the ass learning the properties of new items he never encountered or had to store in cold temperatures. 

Bless Jack for not making him figure that mess out when they weren't in a snowy environment…

After everything in the satchel was handed to the tendrils and in transportation to their appropriate storage areas, Gabriel waited until Jack handed off the satchel itself before closing off the fleshy opening in the wall. With Jack’s attention unoccupied, Gabriel pulled himself up to awkwardly straddle his partner’s lap in the close confines of the one-man cockpit. Jack’s head leaned back against the headrest as Gabriel leaned down and kissed him, drawing a pleasing hum from his silver-haired companion. Jack’s hands came to rest on Gabriel's waist as they exchanged sweet, chaste kisses for a few short moments before Gabriel pulled away. 

“I was robbed of the sappy Italian lunch date you promised me, Morrison.” Gabriel grinned, a bit disappointed but not by much with how tense the situation in the drop zone was. 

Yes, Jack had woven some very romantic notions of pre-apocalypse Rome and the kind of dining you could expect from the good Mediterranean restaurant there. He knew better than to expect the same in the drop zones but, dammit, he wanted his stupid, sappy human date with the tomato sauce and pasta!

Jack’s smile fell at that, making Gabriel frown that he didn't find the joke particular funny.

“Sorry, ‘bout that, Gabe. I can make you spaghetti since we got that jar of tomato sauce and it should still be good to use along with the box of raw spaghetti.” Jack offered sheepishly, clearly wanting that little date as much as he did.

Gabriel nodded his head in understanding even though he wanted to have someone else make it for them for once as a nice meal in a nice atmosphere rather than them setting up a small camping fire to cook it from the box in the wilderness. Washing off the pot and pan was such a hassle too, in Gabriel's opinion, so it would be nice for neither of them to have to worry about cleaning up after themselves. 

“Well, there has to be another drop zone in Italy. Maybe we can find one that is less invested in causing problems for us?” Gabriel offered, still wanting to keep the idea on the table, if at all possible.

Jack frowned at that, bringing his hands up behind his head to untie the bandana keeping his distorted eye sockets hidden. “Dunno. Could end up being a waste of time with how small the country is since it stretches into the Mediterranean Sea. Stardust is less likely to hit the bottom of the ‘boot’ of the landmass, statistically speaking. Rather not waste resources on a wild goose chase, dinner date or not.” He remarked as he passed the bandana to Gabriel, resting himself back into his seat with a conflicted sigh.

Right, they didn't restock food or anything after that big screw up at the fish stall since, well, Gabriel was too scared of fucking up again and possibly having another person suffer for his mistake. A kid likely getting beaten hard afterwards because Gabriel accidentally showed off and then flaked out when he realized it was beyond the stalls ability to pay was a huge blow to his consciousness. 

Eyeing the Mediterranean Sea in the near distance, Gabriel was brought back to the idea of a romantic dinner and how hungry he was. Not wanting to wallow in his failures, he looked at his partner and felt a smile curl on his own lip. He was going to get that dinner date, suitable restaurant nearby or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this new installment for the series! Please leave a review on what you liked or what you are speculating on for future installments!

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter two will be posted in a few days! Please leave a review and maybe I'll ship it out quicker!


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